Driving mechanism for street-cars



(N Moden.)

J. MGLEAN.

DRIVING MEHANISM FR STREET GARS.

UNITED STATES PATENT Ormes.

JAMES lllcLEAN, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO, ASSIGXOR 'lO THE MCLEAN RAPID TRANSIT MACHINE COMPANY, OF COLORADO.

DRIVING NICHANISNI FOR STRET--Culii-IS.l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,152, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed April 26, 1888,

To @ZZ wiz-0m it may concern;

Be it known that I, J Anas MCLEAN, of Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Driving Mechanism for Street Cars and Like Vehicles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,` clear, and exact description of the same.

It is the object of my invention to provide a driving mechanism for street-cars'and like vehicles which may be carried upon theframe of the car and operated by a motor also carried by the car, to run the car in either direction without connection with outside sources oi power, and in a cheaper manner than by the use of horse-power, cables, or electricity.

rIhe invention consist-s of an improved mechanism [or the propulsion of street-cars andlike vehicles, including a motor mounted with friction-wheels and intermediate mechanism mounted on a sliding frame, the friction wheels acting in connection with a frictionwhcel on the axle of the driving-wheels of the car. It includes also a dynamo carried on the frame which supports the drivingmechanism and connected to said mechanism to light the car, and it includes details of construction, all as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is illustrated by two figures, in which- Figure l is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a plan view.

The frame of the car is shown as composed ol the outside frame, II, and of longitudinal beams M M and cross-beams lmf m; but these may of course he greatly varied, and this forms no part of the invention. The axles have their bearings in boxes on the frame ot' the car, these boxes being in hangers of any suitable kind, the V`forms of which are well known.

The wheels c d are supporting-wheels only, and do not form any part of the driving mechanism. The wheels o a are larger and serve also as driving-\vheels, having large frictionwheels fixed to their axles or to the wheels. These frictionavheels are shown at a2 c? in the different forms, the one being fixed to or forming a part of the inner face of the driving-wheels and the other being a separate Serial No. 271,786. (No model.)

wheel and fixed directly to the axles. In niachines of this class as heretofore designed the driving mechanism has been placed on the main frame of the machine in part and in part on a supplemental sliding frame supported on the main frame. This construction and arrangement complica-te the connections and materially 'impair their efliciency. In my apparatus I have located the motor on the sliding trame, together with the frictionwheels and the intermediate connections be tween the jfriction-wheels and the motor, by means of which power is applied to the large friction-wheels on the axles or driving-wheels of the ear. The motor which l contemplate using is a gasoline-engine; but I do not limit myself to this particular and for this purpose most convenient form of engine.

The moving frame, heretofore referred to, consists mainly of the side bars, D D, which are connected by suitable cross-bars to form a rigid trame: On one end is located the engine E, which has the piston-rod c, connected to the crank-shaft l". This crank-shaft is journaled in the side pieces, D D, of the frame and carries at or near its outer ends frictionwheels ff', which are in line with the frictionwheels` heretofore described in connection with the main drivinguvheel. Farther along' on the frame and jonrnaled also in the side pieces, D D, is a second crank-shaft, G, which carries friction-wheels g g', which are similar in all respects to the wheels ff. The distance between the peripheries or" the wheels and g is a little greater than the diameter of the friction-wheels c? c?. Both of these friction-wheelsf g cannot be in contact with their intermediate friction-wheels at the same time. The wheels ff may by the sliding of the irame be pressed into contact with the friction-wheels on the axle of the drive-wheels, and then the other two friction-wheels, g g', willbe out of contact, By reversing the movement of the frame the wheels g g may be thrown into contact when the others will be out. The two cranks on the shafts are connected by rods 7i. 72 which are connected bya sliding head, H, moving in guides in the side bars or in the frame connected therewith, and the cranks are so set that the movements of IOO the friction-wheels in revolving will bein opposite directions, so that when the `movable frame is shifted the driving-power will be applied in opposite directions if the frame is shifted far enough to bring one or the other into contact with the friction-Wheels on the axle. If the frame be shifted only enough to leave both sets of friction-wheels .out of contact, no power will be applied to drive the car, although the motor is constantly running and the friction-wheels carried on the frame are constantly running therewith. The momentum, therefore, of the driving mechanism is constantly kept up, and is ready always to act with full force upon the driving-wheels of the car, although the slipping of the frictionwheels Will prevent any sharp jerking motion in starting. In order to increase the momentum of the driving mechanism, I place on the ,crank-shafts balance-wheels k.

I do not confine myself to the use of two crank-shafts and two sets of friction-wheelsone on each side of the friction-wheels on the axle. I may use one set and reverse the movement of the car to go in an opposite dilrection by reversing the engine, if a reversing-engine be used. The movement of the frame remains the same in stopping or starting, and it may be connected with any ordinary kind of brake mechanism.

On the end of the car opposite the motor I have shown a small dynamo, mf, the shaft of which is connected to one of the crank-shafts by a belt, m, running over pulleys on the re` spective shafts. One of the pulleys is connected to the shaft by a splined clutch, so that-it may be disconnected at the will of the operator. This dynamo is for the purpose of running electrclamps in the car, andas the ruiming of the driving mechanism is constant the light may be constantly maintained through this machine while the car is in operation.

Itwill be understood that the tank forsupplying the gasoline to the engine, if a gasoline-engine is used, or gas if a gas-engine is used, may be located in any convenient part of the car, and may be connected with the engine by iiexible pipes.

By means of the mechanism above described the car may be run with `a very simple and light form of engine and with very simple mechanism.

To move the frame which carries the crank- Shafts and the engine, I provide a lever, L, pivoted on the main frame of the car or some part of the body thereof. The lower end of the lever has a toothed segment, L', which engages with a rack-bar, N, projecting from the sliding frame. The under surface of the rackbar is shown as toothed, and engages with an idle-pinion pivoted below the lever to hold the rack -bar always in engagement. The lower surface, however, of the rack-bar may be smooth and the idle-pinionhave a corresponding smooth surface. The lever is provided with any suitable detent for holding the sliding frame in position'. Other means, however, may be used in moving the frame, and I do not confine myself to the precise mechanism shown.

I claim as my inventiunl. In combination with a body and supp rting and driving wheels, a sliding frame carrying friction wheels, with crankshafts and piston connections to an engine, all mounted on the said fram e, the friction-wheels being arranged to shift their contact with friction wheels on the axle to reverse the movement, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a car-body, a moving frame carrying a motor, two shafts carrying friction-wheels, said friction-Wheels being in line with friction-wheels on the drivingaxle, but on opposite sides thereof at a distance asunder greater than the diameter of the friction-wheels on the driving-axle, land connections between the two shafts on the moving frame and` the motor, all substantially as described.

In combination with the sliding frame carrying the engine, crank-shafts journaled thereon and their friction-wheels arranged on both sides of friction-wheels on the axle of the driving-wheels, the connection between one crank-shaft and the piston-rod of the engine, and connection between the two crank-shafts through the sliding head moving on ways in the frame. y

In testimony whereofI have signed lmy name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES MCLEAN.

Witnesses:

CHAs. RUTER, W. IV. DOTY.

IOO 

